(Not Applicable)
The present invention pertains generally to wheelchairs and, more particularly, a uniquely configured wheelchair specifically adapted for transferring a physically challenged patient into and out of the wheelchair under the patient""s own power or with the assistance of no more than one person.
There exists in the prior art, wheelchairs that are configured to provide some degree of mobility to non-ambulatory or physically challenged patients. Some of these patients are confined to a wheelchair due to a variety of conditions including progressive neurological degeneration wherein the patient may be unable to move without the combined efforts of at least two people to lift the patient into and out of the wheelchair. For example, it may be desirable to relocate the patient from a bed in a bedroom to a living room chair in a living room. Unable to move under their own power due to lack of balance or muscular strength, the patient must be physically lifted from the bed, placed into the wheelchair, wheeled into the living room, and then lifted again out of the wheelchair and into the living room chair.
The lifting usually must be performed by two people or caregivers possessing sufficient strength, as one caregiver may not possess sufficient strength. In addition, the patient typically cannot be without a caregiver for more than six hours per day. Furthermore, the patient may require the assistance of a caregiver during the night in order to utilize bathroom facilities. Nursing homes may provide the assistance of caregivers who are specifically employed and trained to move nursing home patients.
Such caregivers in nursing homes can lift and move the patient at various times during the day and night, as needed. However, the cost of nursing homes is prohibitively expensive. The high cost of nursing homes and hospitals may not be covered under government health care plans or private health care insurance. Employing a full-time live in caregiver is equally expensive. In addition, insurance costs may prohibit live-in caregivers and nursing home caregivers from moving the patient outside the confines of the patient""s home or the nursing home.
A few wheelchairs of the prior art are configured such that the patient does not have to be lifted out of the wheelchair in order to use the toilet or take a shower. Such wheelchairs include a seat panel having a potty dish formed therewith such that the patient may evacuate without the need to transfer the patient to a bathroom. However, such wheelchairs having a potty dish included with the seat panel suffer from several deficiencies that detract from the overall utility of the wheelchair. For example, because the potty dish is integral with the seat panel, the seat panel must be cleaned after each use.
In attempts to overcome the above mentioned limitations, electric wheelchairs have been developed. These electric wheelchairs include options such as powered seats that operate in a manner similar to the powered seats available in many automobiles. These powered seats may include a seat height adjustment capability that allows the patient to be raised above the level of an object to which the patient may be transferred. The lifting capability of the powered seats partially solves the lifting problem in that the need for two caregivers to lift the patient is eliminated.
However, powered wheelchairs may cost many thousands of dollars and thus may be unaffordable to the same people unable to afford the high cost of nursing homes. Furthermore, for patients having a diminished sense of balance, the gap between the wheelchair and the article to which the patient is to be moved presents another challenge in that the patient may not be able to transfer across the gap. A loss of balance while the patient is traversing the gap could be disastrous if a lone caregiver does not posses sufficient strength to steady the patient during the transfer.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for a wheelchair possessing the capability to raise the patient above the level of the article to which the patient may be transferred. Also, there exists a need in the art for a wheelchair capable of being lowering to a level that is less than that of the article from which the patient may be transferred. Additionally, there exists a need in the art for a wheelchair that provides the patient with the ability to steady and maintain their balance when transferring into and out of the wheelchair. Also, there exists a need in the art for a wheelchair that provides resistance from tipping over when the patient transfers into and out of the wheelchair. Furthermore, there exists a need in the art for a wheelchair that allows the patient to evacuate without transferring the patient to bathroom facilities. Finally, there exists a need in the art for a wheelchair that allows for easy cleanup after patient evacuation.
The present invention specifically addresses and alleviates the above referenced deficiencies associated with wheelchairs. More particularly, the present invention is a uniquely configured wheelchair specifically adapted for transferring a patient into and out of the wheelchair by providing a combination of a selectively movable seat base with at least one security beam disposed on the wheelchair. The seat base is configured for selectively raising or lowering a patient between a first level and a second level such that the patient may be initially placed at a higher level than the article to which they are to be transferred. The patient then grabs the security beam for stability and balance and simultaneously moves downward and laterally to perform the transfer. In this manner, the force of gravity may be utilized to advantage so that the patient, either acting alone or with assistance, may easily transfer from the wheelchair to another location such as a living room chair or sofa, bathroom facilities or the passenger seat of an automobile, with the aid of no more than a single caregiver.
The wheelchair is comprised of a support frame to which is attached at least two main wheels, the seat base and at least one security beam. Additional components may include a pair of transit wheels, a pair of arm rests, a seat back and a head rest. As was mentioned above, the seat base is configured for selectively raising and lowering the patient between the first level and the second level as may be facilitated through various lifting mechanisms. The wheelchair may comprise a pair of anti-tip booms to prevent tipping during use of the security beams in patient transfers, as will be discussed in detail below.
A pair of transit wheels may be provided. The transit wheels may be mounted to the support frame and configured to be freely swivelable, providing lateral and forward/aft stability as well as steering capability to the wheelchair during normal operation. In comparison, the anti-tip booms provide lateral and forward/aft stability to prevent tipping of the wheelchair when the patient""s weight is placed on the security beams during transfers into and out of the wheelchair. Thus, the distance between the main wheels and the respective ends of the anti-tip booms is fairly long as compared to the relatively short distance between the main wheels and the transit wheels.
The support frame has a front, a rear, and opposing sides with the front facing in a forward direction and the rear facing in an aft direction. The opposing sides of the support frame face in opposing lateral directions. The main wheels are mounted on the support frame and may be mounted on either side of the support frame. The seat base is disposed upon the support frame between the main wheels and is configured for selectively raising and lowering the patient between the first level and the second level. The lifting mechanism may comprise a scissors jack, a pneumatic or hydraulic jack or any number of alternative devices. The lifting mechanism may be configured for lowering the seat base to the first level such that the patient may be lifted off of the floor with the aid of the security beams. In such a scenario, the security beams may be horizontally oriented and slipped under the armpits of the patient in order to lift the patient up to a height sufficient for transfer into the wheelchair or into an adjacently located article of furniture.
The security beams may be substantially horizontally orientated and may project outwardly in the forward direction. The wheelchair may include only a single security beam or the pair of security beams disposed adjacent each of the main wheels. The security beams may alternatively have a substantially vertical orientation. The security beams 26 may be of a length such that they extend sufficiently past the wheelchair such that the patient sitting on an adjacent article of furniture may easily grasp the security beam prior to transferring into the wheelchair. The security beams may be axially extendable, such as by means of a telescoping configuration, such that the overall length may be adjusted beyond an initial length. The security beam may be configured to be pivoted and locked into any position intermediate the substantially vertical orientation and the substantially horizontal orientation.
If a seat back and head rest are included with the wheelchair, the seat back may be reclinable and pivotable between any positions intermediate a generally upright and a reclined position. The head rest, normally disposed above the seat back, may be configured to be detachable from the seat back such that it may be removed. A pair of arm rests may be included, the arm rests projecting in the lateral direction and disposed above each side of the seat base. The arm rests may be temporarily pivoted out of the way or they may be altogether removed from the seat back to further facilitate the patient transfer. The wheelchair may include the anti-tip booms disposed on either side of the support frame and they may be horizontally oriented and projecting in the forward direction
The anti-tip booms may be extended in the forward direction in order to provide stability for the wheelchair against tipping such as when the weight of the patient is placed upon the security beam. The anti-tip booms may be configured to project into one of the opposing lateral directions in order to prevent tipping of the wheelchair when the patient is transferring into and out of the side of the wheelchair. The anti-tip booms may include caster wheels mounted on the end of the anti-tip booms that are held a few inches above the floor when the anti-tip booms are retracted but are placed into contact with the floor once the anti-tip booms are extended.
In operation, the wheelchair functions as a conventional wheelchair once the patient is seated therein. However, the wheelchair advantageously includes the additional combined features of the selectively moveable seat base and the security beams for allowing the patient to transfer from an article of furniture to the wheelchair, or vice versa, utilizing the force of gravity. For example, during a transfer of the patient from a bed to the wheelchair, the wheelchair is moved adjacent the bed. The security beam is disposed in a horizontal orientation and axially extended in order that the patient may conveniently grasp the security beam prior to the transfer. The patient can then use the security beams as a portable banister or hand rail to enable use of the patient""s hand, arm and upper-torso muscles.
The patient is then laterally moved toward the seat base while the force of gravity acts to simultaneously pull the patient down toward the seat base. If unable to move laterally under their own power, the patient may be assisted. The anti-tip booms may be extended to any length and may be pivoted into the forward-facing or lateral-facing directions in order to provide stability against tipping of the wheelchair as may otherwise occur during application of the patient""s weight upon the security beam. The patient can then be wheeled about under their own power or with assistance in the conventional manner. Transfer of the patient out of the wheelchair and into an article of furniture, such as a living room chair, is accomplished in the reverse order as that described above for transfer of the patient into the wheelchair.
The wheelchair may also be provided in a second embodiment wherein a stretcher topping may be disposed on a storage compartment which is slidably mounted on the support frame. Advantageously, the combination storage compartment and stretcher topping of the second embodiment and the seat base of the first embodiment are each configured such that they may be interchanged with each other so that the user is provided with two options for supporting the patient. The stretcher topping of the second embodiment is comprised of the storage compartment, a seat base assembly, a reclinable seat back and a leg support. The seat base assembly includes potty capabilities for the patient due to the inclusion of a potty panel disposed underneath a forward part of the seat panel. Advantageously, the stretcher topping may be arranged in a planar, stretcher-like configuration allowing the patient to lie in a supine or prone position. In addition, the stretcher topping may be arranged in a seated configuration wherein the seat back is positioned into a reclined orientation with the leg support extending downwardly in an angled orientation from the seat base assembly. The leg support may be removed.
The storage compartment of the wheelchair of the second embodiment is laterally slidably mounted upon the support frame with the seat base assembly being mounted upon the storage compartment. By configuring the storage compartment to be laterally slidable in combination with its height adjustability between first and second levels, the stretcher topping may be positioned in any position relative to an article to or from which the patient may be transferred. The stretcher topping is configured such that it may also be laterally slid over one of the main wheels for close placement near the patient to reduce any gap that may otherwise exist between the stretcher topping and the article. Gravity may be used to assist in the transfer of the patient between the stretcher topping and the article wherein the stretcher topping may be positioned such that it is lower than the article from which the patient is to be transferred. Conversely, the stretcher topping may be positioned such that it is higher than the article to which the patient is to be transferred.
The wheelchair of the second embodiment shares a commonality with several components of the wheelchair of the first embodiment including the support frame, the two main wheels, and the pair of transit wheels. The storage compartment is mounted on the support frame with a pair of sliding mechanisms interposed between the storage compartment and the support frame. The storage compartment may include a vertically disposed divider panel to divide the storage compartment into a forward section and an aft section. The aft section may include a removable drawer for holding various items. The drawer may be slidably advanced into and withdrawn from the aft section similar to the operation of a clothes dresser drawer. The seat base assembly is comprised of a removable seat panel and a potty panel. The seat panel may be sized and configured such that it is stackable upon and removable from the similarly sized potty panel. The potty panel has an aperture formed therethrough that opens into the aft section of the storage compartment. During use of the potty panel, the seat panel is temporarily removed to expose the potty panel.
The stretcher topping includes the seat back which is configured to be reclinable such that it may be positioned at any orientation between and including generally horizontal and vertical orientations. The seat back may be folded on top of the seat base assembly in order to reduce the size of the wheelchair. Arm rests may also be included with the wheelchair and each may be removable in a manner similar to the arm rest of the first embodiment and may further be vertically and/or laterally pivotably attached to the seat back such that they may be folded down flat.
A removable leg support may be included with the stretcher topping and may be pivotable about the forward end of the seat base between and including substantially horizontal and vertical orientations similar to that described above for the seat back. The leg support may include an outwardly pivotable or foldable foot rest which may be configured such that it may fold down against the leg support to allow the patient""s legs to extend outstretched on the stretcher topping. The wheelchair of the second embodiment may further include at least one security beam configured as a hand-hold to aid the patient in transfers to and from the wheelchair. The security beams may be disposed behind the seat back by plugging into a security beam socket mounted behind the seat back and interposed between the main wheels. The security beams may be configured to be pivotable between substantially vertical and horizontal orientations and may be extendable outwardly from the wheelchair.
The anti-tip booms may be included with the wheelchair to prevent tipping when the weight of the patient is concentrated on an end or side of the stretcher topping. Each one of the anti-tip booms may be substantially horizontally disposed adjacent one of the main wheels and may be configured to be axially extendable and project outwardly from the support frame. The wheelchair of the second embodiment may further include a lifting mechanism configured for selectively raising or lowering the storage compartment and, hence, the stretcher topping between the first level and the second level.